Bill Bailey, the Great Jellicle Detective
by Lozzypop
Summary: My innate curiosity as a feline had been aroused and I wasn't prepared to let the matter rest, however I wasn't as yet aware of the adventure my quest would soon lead me on. Cats fic, about a Jellicle detective updated 25.08.08, chapter 10 added.
1. Default Chapter

Author's note: There's a little story behind this story; it actually started off as an experimental piece of writing for a story I was originally planning; the only problem is that now I can't seem to stop writing this one rather than the original, lol.  
  
I'd like to have people's opinions on it so I can improve, and make any changes. I've been reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes lately and I thought that the Jellicle world needed a cat detective, so without further ado here is the first part.

* * *

  
"Well Admetus, you are a welcome addition to the tribe." Deuteronomy smiled as we touched paws, "And I have no doubt your skills will be valuable to us."  
  
He was referring of course to my medical expertise. My human had been a vet, and so I had diligently studied his methods until I was confident enough to go into practise, as it were, a feline medical professional.  
  
"I am glad to hear that," I replied, "I'm certain this tribe will be good for me."  
  
"Of that I am doubly certain," the grand old tom glanced around the yard, "I would introduce you to my second-in-command, but he seems to have his paws full at this moment," Deuteronomy chuckled, and I turned my head in the direction he was looking.  
  
Deuteronomy's second, a silver tabby known as Munkustrap was scolding two young kits.  
  
"Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer," Deuteronomy explained, "A likeable pair of kits, but a bit of a handful."  
  
The young kits, who looked alike enough to be twins, stared down at the ground and each chewed their bottom lip as Munkustrap's lecture continued.  
  
"Well, kits will be kits. Getting into a bit of mischief is ordinary."  
  
"Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as the word ordinary," Deuteronomy said with a wry grin, "Those two are the best cat-burglars this side of London."  
  
I stared at him, my mouth agape,  
  
"You cannot be serious. They are so young."  
  
"They were strays before they found their way here, and in their time on the streets they were trained and employed as cat-burglars by Macavity. It is well known his morals are well, a little lax. Those pair are just finding it difficult to break old habits."  
  
I looked over to the kits again; they had worked for Macavity? I had heard of him before and so I knew what Deuteronomy had said regarding his morals was a slight understatement.  
  
Due to the spectacle of the second-in-command scolding the two mischief- makers I had neglected to notice a forth member of their party. Catching Deuteronomy's eye the young brown and white tom strolled towards us, a look of self-satisfaction upon his features.  
  
"What have they done now?" Deuteronomy asked the tom with a sigh.  
  
"A Ming vase was stolen from Mr. Bustopher Jones, needless to say I found it in the possession of those two."  
  
Deuteronomy groaned,  
  
"Bustopher will be furious with them."  
  
The other tom smiled, a roguish twinkle danced in his eyes,  
  
"I happen to think otherwise, Deuteronomy. My orders were merely to find the vase, which I have done, and return it, which I shall do shortly. I see no reason to inform Mr. Jones of the culprits. In truth, I imagine he would prefer a tale about an international smuggling ring, rather than one about those two rascals."  
  
"Well that certainly takes a lot off my mind," Deuteronomy said, and patted the tom on the shoulder, "Sometimes I feel that you are almost too good at spinning these tall tales."  
  
"All part of the job, Deuteronomy."  
  
Upon remembering my presence, the leader introduced me, "Bailey, this is Admetus, a new member to the tribe. Admetus this is Bill Bailey, crime solver extraordinaire."  
  
Bill Bailey bowed, flattered by Deuteronomy's praise of him,  
  
"Well I must be off to return Mr. Jones' vase. It was nice meeting you, Doctor."  
  
He left, leaving me open-mouthed and rather confused,  
  
"I say, how did he know I was a Doctor?" I asked Deuteronomy.  
  
"It's his little peculiarity. I dare say that there are a good many Jellicles who would like to know how he works these things out."  
  
From that moment on I was determined to find out more of this tom who could pull facts out of the air. My innate curiosity as a feline had been aroused and I wasn't prepared to let the matter rest, however I wasn't as yet aware of the adventure my quest would soon lead me on.

* * *

Author's note: Hi, me again, please, please, please review, I'll give you a cookie. 


	2. The plot thickens

Author's note: Well here it is, the next installment. It's a bit of a short chapter, but believe me this is probably the fastest I've updated a story. Oh well, I'm getting better at updating if nothing else. Now before we go on to the story, I have a few thank you's to say first (and cookies to give ;-) ).  
  
Scrawler: Thank you very much for your review, it made me grin. I do think Admetus should be used more in fics, I'm not sure what made me think Admetus = doctor, but he does seem like a nice down-to-earth tom and I kind of like writing from his POV now. Bill Bailey is the West End version of Tumblebrutus I believe, or something like that. And yes it was the name that made me choose him to be the detective, Bill Bailey of Baker Street sounds fantastic don't you think? (A bit like Basil of Baker Street, but I'll try to keep The Great Mouse Detective and The Great Cat Detective separate, hehe, it wouldn't end well).  
  
Roman de la Croix: Thank you so much, I would have wrote it in film noir, except I got really into Sherlock Holmes (I've read all the Conan Doyle stories, I'm at a loss of what to do now, lol). I was made up to get your review because I love to read your stories, and I loved the style of your review, it made me giggle.  
  
Krissie4: holds out cookies I was pleased that you liked the story and I hope you'll like this new chapter too.  
  
PouncyTumble: Cookies for you too, and yes they're chocolate chip (mmmm). Glad your internet is back, and huggles to you for reviewing.

Anyway, here is the next chapter, please, please review.

* * *

The next few weeks in the yard were rather hectic for me, I had been introduced to the majority of the tribe members, and I had set aside a small den where I could treat my patients. But the tom who had captured my interest was nowhere to be seen. It would seem, especially with hindsight, I was not to find this Bill Bailey until such a time when he wanted to find me.  
  
"Good evening, Doctor. I trust I find you well."  
  
To be honest, the Jellicle to whom that voice belonged did not find me well. I had been rummaging under a large pile of papers and medical items that I had somehow accumulated over the years, and therefore, I quite possibly sustained a slight concussion as I jumped up to greet the visitor.  
  
"Not too bad," I replied, rubbing my head in a self-pitying manner, "What can I do for...?" I turned, only to see that the visitor was the same tom who had been on my mind of late.  
  
"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked, recovering myself.  
  
"You seem somewhat surprised at my presence here, Doctor," Bill Bailey stated, the corners of his lips twitching in amusement.  
  
"Yes. Well, I believe I have not had the pleasure of your company since the day I became part of this tribe."  
  
"Ah, I request your forgiveness for my absence and must state that I do not make a habit of avoiding newcomers to the tribe," he apologised, with a small bow of his head.  
  
"No need for apologies, pray tell me what has brought you to me?"  
  
At my words a change came over Bill Bailey, his earlier amusement left his features.  
  
"I fear I'm in need of your medical expertise," he said, a grave expression upon his features.  
  
I took a step closer, watching him closely. His words to me had brought my medical knowledge to the forefront of my mind. However I could see no symptom of disease or injury about the tom that stood facing me. Surely he couldn't be some sort of hypochondriac.  
  
As a result of my train of thought, it was I confess, with some interest that I asked,  
  
"What happened to you?"  
  
Bill Bailey suddenly chuckled before returning to his earlier expression,  
  
"Oh no, it isn't me who is injured. I am as right as rain, or to be more precise, as right as that dreadful weather can be," he wrinkled his nose, expressing his dislike of the rain, "There is a young queen at my home in Baker Street; she is your patient-to-be. I apologise for dragging you off like this, I would have brought her here, except I felt it was safer to take you to her."  
  
"Safer? What on Earth do...?"  
  
Bill Bailey interrupted me,  
  
"Doctor, please gather together your medical effects, I shall explain along the way."  
  
As I put together, what I felt was an ample amount of medical supplies for my purpose, I could not refrain from pondering what lay ahead of me.  
  
Why would my going to Bill Bailey's residence be safer than the alternative? Furthermore what was the cause of this danger?  
  
I seized my medical bag; whatever the danger was, I would soon learn the truth. 


	3. Explanations

Author's note: Here it is, the new chapter of The Great Jellicle Detective, sorry it has been longer than usual to update, I've started working on a playscheme, and have been too shattered to do much never mind write. I'm getting used to getting up earlier now, so hopefully the next update shouldn't be too long. Firstly I've got a few thank you's to say.

Roman de la Croix: Hola, Thank you so much for the review. And as to your theory about the queen, all I'm going to say is that either your psychic powers are returning or I'm getting very predictable (I'd prefer to think of it as the first one, hehe).

Krissie4: Thanks for the review and here's the next chapter, as soon as I could.

DemiGold: Thank you for the review. You'll find out who the queen is in this chapter, and I love Admetus too, hehe.

Me: Thank you, and here's the update

PouncyTumble: Yeh you can get brownies next time I bake 'em, thank you for the review, and yes I do think that you know who the queen is, lol.

Without any more ado, here's the next chapter, and please, please, please review, cookies to all reviewers so far.

* * *

Ever true to his word, Bill Bailey did explain everything to me, at a later point in time, however. For now he preferred to cover all possible aspects of the situation before enlightening me.

We had reached the gates of the Junkyard when he stopped suddenly, and turned towards me. I had a difficult time stopping in my tracks, to tell the truth I was somewhat convinced that Bailey had sensed something that a mere mortal as myself could not. This was not to be the case though.

"Before we continue on our way I must tell you something," Bailey confessed, "There is every possible chance that by doing this I could be placing you in some degree of danger. If you wish to return to your den then I would not hold it against you."

Bailey spoke in a polite enough manner, but I bristled at the thought that he considered me to be some sort of coward.

"The idea that I would abandon this young queen who you say is in need of medical aid is preposterous. What kind of doctor would I be if I did such a thing?" I replied.

Bill Bailey smiled and patted me on the shoulder,

"It seems you are indeed the tom for the job, I believe I did judge you correctly. But now we must hurry, for I should not like to leave Miss Jenny and young Demeter for long."

As we hurried along street after street, I do believe that Bill Bailey seemed to sense my curiosity, for not long after, he launched into his explanation of the events, which had brought him to my medical practise only minutes before.

"You have heard of the tom known as Macavity?" he called back to me, as we ran along what he had earlier referred to as a shortcut.

I nodded in return; indeed I had heard tales of this tom. A fiend in feline shape, and yet not even Scotland Yard could get the slightest shred of evidence to convict him of the many monstrosities he had supposedly committed.

"He's a genius, albeit a corrupt one. I believe him to be the one, Napoleon of crime!"

"And he is the source of the danger we face?"

"All in good time, Doctor. This morning, not much after breakfast a young Jellicle was found cowering in the street outside by my landlady, Miss Jennyanydots. Suffice to say, she brought the poor queen inside, after much coaxing. Jenny and myself were surprised, or in fact, more correctly, shocked, to find we recognised this queen. Her name is Demeter, she disappeared from the Junkyard two years ago, and had never been heard from since," Bill Bailey's voice was bitter, "Despite my best efforts we could not trace her. And this very morning she just appeared upon my doorstep. Anyway I digress, she had a most interesting and yet horrific story of where she had been for those two years, a prisoner of Macavity. Late last night she had at last escaped from Macavity's lair and she was trying to find her way back to the Junkyard when Miss Jenny came across her."

"That's terrible," I said, shocked at what he had told me. She had been a prisoner for two years? That poor queen, it didn't even seem possible in a day and age such as this, that someone could be a prisoner, for two years.

"I must tell you Demeter is more than a little uneasy around other felines, especially toms. After what she's been through such a thing is expected."

I growled, not taking the trouble to conceal my anger towards what this poor girl had been through at the paws of another feline. I half-dreaded to find what was the exact cause of the injuries suffered by my patient.

"Here we are," Bill Bailey said, breaking in on my thoughts. He showed no signs of having run all the way to his home, myself on the other paw, most probably looked like I was about to go into cardiac arrest.

I glanced around. We were in an alleyway, a dead end. For the first time I felt a twinge of distrust towards Bill Bailey, was this all a ruse, some type of trap?

"Um, there is nowhere else to go. It is a dead end," I spoke up.

"Of course it is," Bill Bailey grinned at me in a mischievous manner before leaping up onto the wall at the end of the alley, "I hope your jumping skills are in order, Doctor."


	4. Miss Demeter

Author's note: I'm really sorry that this chapter took so long, you see someone pointed out something about there not being enough description of Bill Bailey when he first met Admetus. So I've been trying to sort that out, and have neglected this a little bit. Anyway I decided to get this up now, and I'll deal with sorting out the beginning of the story another time. I'm ignoring some Uni work to do this, but really I can't work 24/7 so I thought a break was in order.

The other day my friend mentioned something about arranging a trip to London, and named the places she wanted to go, including Baker Street. At that point I started jumping up and down saying, "We have to go to the Sherlock Holmes museum, can we go to the Sherlock Holmes museum? Please, please, please, please, please." Hmm, something tells me I may have a problem.

Here's the review replies.

Chimalmaht: blushes actually I think I like being called a genius, especially since I wanted to buy an Evil Genius t-shirt and my sister told me I was neither, nice of her wasn't it? I love your reviews, they make me all happy, which believe me, I really need sometimes (usually around exam time, or maybe when exam results come out, I'm dreading it -s ). Yep, this chapter, we'll finally see Demeter, and find out about what happened to her a bit more. Thank you so much for the reviews and I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter.

Jemima-luvah: The next installment is… now! Heh. Thanks for your review and I'm sorry for not getting this up sooner.

PouncyTumble: Here's an update, so that should make you happy, and as for ice cream, well… go on then, can't have brownies without ice cream I suppose, lol.

TeriyakiKat: Yeah, I agree about the whole Holmes and Watson as Cats thing, but then again, if they had a Great Mouse Detective then surely we can have a cat one too. Thanks for your review, hope you enjoy this new part.

DemiGold: I'm gonna say no, virtual cookies can't go stale, so you can have as many as you like. Thank you for the review, and here's the brand new chapter.

Roman de la Croix: I think I shall quote Taboo, "Who needs cornflour when the plot thickens all by itself." Sorry for the randomness, your review just made me think of that line. About your prediction, I'm not saying, hehe, but that probably means you're right. And for some reason I can picture you as a Holmes type character, which I think maybe quite worrying. Anyway I'm always made up to get a review from you, because I love your stories. Thanks so much.

Krissy4: Don't worry about the injuries too much, Admetus is very Victorian-minded and he'll most likely try to skip over certain things. Hope you enjoy this new chapter, and I'll try to be better with updating. Thank you for the review.

Before we go on with the story, I'd like to say that this chapter is dedicated to all the reviewers so far, thank you everyone, you all get virtual (insert favourite desserts here), and now, on with chapter four. Please read and review.

* * *

The detective did apologise later, albeit with a stifled chuckle for the unconventional means of entering his residence, a comfortable human house. It was not purely for Bill Bailey's amusement but imperative for my safety that we did so, the less people who knew about my presence in the house the better. However Bill Bailey's landlady was even less impressed at our method for gaining entry into the house. Bill Bailey must have been glad of his quick reactions, for he barely missed being clouted by a poker as it was. Miss Jenny certainly had good aim for a gentlewoman. She also had the wrath expected of someone who was intent on protecting the young queen in the house. Bill Bailey appeared to find it difficult to apologise in between the lulls in Miss Jenny's tirade.

I was relieved to find that we only had to contend with Miss Jenny for the moment, Bill Bailey's human, a writer disturbed him very little, preferring instead to hide away in a room near the top of the house. This left Bill Bailey free to firstly convince Miss Jenny that we were not agents of Macavity in disguise, and lastly express his regret for scaring the poor lady out of her wits. Once this necessary duty was completed, I got to have a look at my patient.

The young queen was curled up in an armchair by the fire; she looked up at us with wide, frightened eyes as we entered the room. For a moment I was taken aback, this queen looked so young. I would have presumed her age to be scarcely over a year old if Bill Bailey had not told me otherwise. She had been a prisoner for at least two years, and had been residing at the Junkyard prior to that. In all probability this queen could be about three or four years old.

"It's alright my dear," Miss Jenny soothed her, "It's only Mr. Bailey and the doctor," she turned back to glare at Bill Bailey, who was unmoved. He was already on to a new topic of conversation.

"Nothing amiss happened while I was away I trust?" he asked.

"Nothing at all, I followed your instructions to the letter," Miss Jenny responded in a curt fashion.

"Good, good," Bill Bailey edged towards the girl in the chair so as not to startle her, "Miss Demeter, are you feeling better?"

She merely nodded her head, not saying a word.

"I have brought a doctor with me, he is a perfectly respectable chap, would you allow him to treat you?"

A short pause, then another nod of the head, a little more unsure this time. I detected a slight shaking of her paws.

"Don't worry my dear, I'll be right here besides you," Miss Jenny sat by the girl and took her paw to calm her. I approached her to begin.

Miss Demeter had been treated in an alarming manner; that much I said to Bill Bailey in a later conversation. Cuts and bruises marred her skin. The injury causing me the most concern was the jagged cut on her forehead. The bleeding had nearly stopped but stitches were still needed nonetheless and I wasn't completely happy about my patients' state of anxiety. Every time I moved to touch her she flinched, which is even more of a negative characteristic when one is holding a needle and thread. Head injuries were most troublesome.

While I worked on Miss Demeter in the sitting room, I noticed that Bill Bailey had taken up a position by the window. He appeared to be watching for something, or someone. The fact that he stayed out of the light, so he couldn't be seen by the outside world did not escape my notice. To be frank, his actions unsettled my nerves. If there were agents of Macavity outside, lurking in the shadows of the night, then the danger Miss Demeter was in was very real. How anyone could wish to hurt this young queen was beyond my understanding. She had already been hurt this badly, what kind of monster could look into her frightened eyes and at the same time extend his claws to cause more harm? The same paws that can preserve life, can also take it away and that is something I never have, or ever will become accustomed to.

After a few soothing words and successfully completing the stitches, Miss Demeter seemed a lot more comfortable in my presence, and although she still chose not to say a word, her face appeared less troubled and fearful than it had when we had first arrived.

My attention was drawn to scratches and bruises on Miss Demeter's thighs, they had been cleaned up, like most of the other wounds upon her person, but something struck me about these. They seemed much cleaner. In fact, they were barely noticeable unless you were purposely searching for injuries as I was doing right now, that and the fact that they extended to her inner thighs, troubled me. I glanced up at Miss Jenny, her look told me all I needed to know, something had happened to this girl, apart from the beatings. Something that Miss Jenny didn't want me to handle. If it was as I suspected, then I understood why she did so, although Miss Demeter was calmer now, she was still on edge enough to be seen as skittish. In this state it was best to avoid unnecessary trauma.

After not too long my work was done and I collected together my things. However Bill Bailey, watchful as ever intercepted me on the way out of the sitting room.

"I must insist you spend the night, Doctor," he said in a low voice, so the occupants of the room would not hear, "Macavity's thugs have this place under surveillance, he suspects she's here. I cannot escort you back to the junkyard lest they try to gain entry here in my absence, and yet I dare not put you into any more danger as it is, you must stay."

"Very well," I said, putting down my briefcase.

"You regret coming here in the first place I would imagine."

"Not at all, Bill Bailey," I assured him, "It has been quite an adventure in my ordinary existence."

"Now, now dear fellow," he said with a smile, "Please call me Bailey."


	5. A midnight chat

Authors note: An update, and only a week or two after my last one, so I'm quite proud with myself for getting this up so fast (it's fast for me, anyway).

Just a quick note for this chapter before I go onto the review replies; I'm imagining the cats as more human than anything else (like the actors, except the fur is real and they do have paws and claws but they're just a bit more opposable than normal paws). I really don't want to put anyone off who imagines them as real cats, but I wanted to stay true to the Sherlock Holmes feel of the story, and so I couldn't resist letting Bill Bailey have a pipe and a violin, what is a detective without those? Anyway so there's my reasons for it. And now on to the review replies;

Chimalmaht: Thank you for your kind comments. As for my sister, I'd have to say that she's not read this story, or in fact most of my stories. She's not really a Cats fan, so I've given up on her (it's strange actually because we have a lot of other musicals in common; Rent, Taboo, etc). Anyway, I'm glad you want to read more because here it is, another chapter. Maybe this means I'm going to be better at updating.

Krissy4: Wow, I actually made you scream? Cool, heh, and cousins are only there so you can scare them. I'm glad the word 'chap' amused you, a lot of these words I adore, and wish people would still use them, I actively encourage people to say 'He's a good chap' but they never listen. I think I shall campaign for it, "Words to be brought back into common usage" For starters we shall have 'chap' and then 'rogue' and my personal favourite, 'fiend'. Actually in my story, Entropy and Apocalypse I used the term 'fiends of the night' and could not stop laughing every time I read it. I wanted to take it out for a bit but in the end I think I left it there, to give me a good laugh if nothing else. I'm rambling on again; I shouldn't do that. Anyway here is the next chapter, probably sooner than you expected, hope you enjoy it.

Jemima-luvah: Yeah, Admetus is Watson to Bill Baileys' Holmes. Don't worry about not having read the stories; I didn't actually want to read them until not too long ago (Agatha Christie obsession, let's just say that Hercules Poirot was my favourite detective and now he's a close second). If you do fancy reading them, then today is your lucky day. I found all the stories online, once upon a time (when I couldn't get hold of all the short stories). For some reason it wont let me paste the url here, so I'll pop it on my profile page for you. I recommend reading Study in Scarlet first, but then again you don't have to. I didn't, but I would have liked to. I'm glad you were happy at finding an update, looks like you shall be happy again. And don't worry I shan't neglect my Uni work…much (only joking, I know I have to do well this year. I'm only writing in breaks between working). Enjoy this chapter.

Roman de la Croix: I was really pleased to see another review from you. I don't know why you're so surprised at being compared to Holmes. You have a great imagination and you'd have the little eccentricities down to a tee. Now me being a master of wit and detection is a little more of a long shot, I do try to live up to the great Holmes, but I'm a little too daft for all that. I mean; I have tested whether an electric halogen hob was switched on by putting my entire hand down on it. It was on, yes it hurt. I had my hand under cold water for 10 minutes at least. As well as that, I grabbed the metal part of an iron whilst I knew it was switched on, I'm silly. Anyway I am glad you hadn't given up on this, and I will try to be better at updating (and skive off Uni work every now and then). I think I squealed when you referred to my chapters as masterpieces, I hope they continue to live up to your expectations. As for your prediction, you are getting quite scary; you see I have been contemplating that very question myself. I have one idea in mind but am not sure at present whether it would wreck the story. Anyway I shall decide soon, in the meantime I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Mystitat: Yeah, I thought the Macavity/Moriarty thing was pretty ironic. It made him the obvious choice for the nefarious villain. Hopefully the mystery should be coming into play soon. Unfortunately with the villain already obvious it just means that other aspects of the story shall have to be mysterious to make up for it. The problem with this story is I actually started writing it as an experiment. I actually had a different story in mind to introduce the great Bill Bailey, and I wanted to work on the relationship between Admetus and Bailey, so what better way to do that than to write about how they met. Unfortunately the other story was abandoned and this one taken on, so a plan is not as yet finalised, but I do have an idea of where I want to go. I hope you like this new chapter.

Ok, now that I've rambled on enough, here's the new chapter of Bill Bailey, the Great Jellicle Detective.

* * *

It was arranged that Miss Demeter was to stay in Miss Jenny's room, while I was to stay in a spare room on the second floor, which appeared to be a self-contained apartment. It was this part of the house where Bailey also resided. We retired quite early; the threat of Macavity was too much for our small group to make small talk. And it was this threat, which was to be the cause of my restless sleep. 

The faint threads of a violins' song drifted to my ears as I awoke. It was neither sprightly nor melancholy, but something about it made me freeze and listen. Had the threat of Macavity not been at the forefront of my mind I am certain that I would not have even heard the music, much less grant it my full attention. Although, I confess, any reason why Macavity would break into the house, and wish to play the violin, did not occur to me. Even so, I could still not let the matter go uninvestigated.

I was stealth personified as I crept towards the bedroom door and pushed it open just enough to step through. In the small cosy sitting room of Bailey's apartment, my kind host sat in a chair facing the fire, a violin resting upon his shoulder.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," he murmured, without turning to face me, or even pausing in his playing.

"No, I...I couldn't sleep," I stuttered, surprised that he had heard me. I was certain I had not made a sound in entering the room.

"Take a seat then," Bailey nodded to the chair opposite his, and I complied with his request.

"It seems everyone is on alert tonight. I doubt even Miss Jenny is sleeping yet," he remarked as he stopped playing, and with much care laid the violin on the table between us.

"I can't honestly say I'm surprised, we're dealing with a dangerous tom," I replied, as the thought of Miss Demeter and her injuries flitted through my mind. That nefarious criminal was the cause of much distress and pain to the young queen. He was obviously capable of a good many wicked deeds.

"Yes, but I highly doubt Macavity will attack us tonight."

I raised my eyebrow at his remark. His reasoning to keep me here was the possibility of attack, if there was to be no attack then why was I here?

"Hold on, but you said..."

"Mere precautions," he said with a wave of his paw, "I have more respect for Macavity's intellect than to think he will be so careless as to commit such a crime when he knows the entire household, and myself especially are on their guard against him. He realises that doing such a thing in my presence would be akin to putting his own head in the hangman's noose."

This I could well imagine, but there was a troubling thought embedded in my mind,

"Aren't you not afraid of any personal harm?"

"You mean; would he kill me?" Bailey chuckled, "I suppose it is possible but I do not think he will. The intellectual games between us have not yet become tiresome. Only then or if I become too much of a threat will he see fit to put a permanent end to our battle of wits."

I was intrigued as to the way he spoke about his own death and voiced my opinion to him.

"Ah well you see, if I could be assured that Macavity would be put behind bars then the solution is simple," he leant back in his chair and rested the tips of his paws together. "After all, what is one life compared to the millions that will be safe once Macavity is locked up? Yes, I do think I should like to be the one who has done the world such a service," he offered me a cigar from the tray beside him, and I took one, seeing he had lit his pipe.

"I took the liberty of leaving a message for Munkustrap, before I came to spirit you away from the junkyard. He should be calling here early tomorrow...later today," he corrected himself upon noticing it was long after midnight, "By then it should be safe to get Miss Demeter back to the yard. Munkustrap will be bringing some of the tribes best fighters we should have nothing to worry about."

"Should have?"

"Sometimes, my dear Admetus," he said, using my name for the first time, "One simply cannot expect what form the unexpected will take."

* * *

Authors note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review; it always helps to get feedback. By the by, on my uploaded document of this chapter a few commas and question marks were missing, I've tried to find them all but please let me know if I've missed any. And now I shall leave you a quote from a song, purely because I'm listening to it right now and realising how much I adore Phil Collins. 

_I wish I could just make you turn around, turn around and see me cry. There's so much I need to say to you, so many reasons why. You're the only one who really knew me at all._


	6. Rescued

Author's note: I'm really, really sorry for taking so long to update. Let's just say exams have been my top priority since I nearly failed the last set. I've passed them all but could do better which is annoying. And never mind the fact I nearly had a nervous breakdown when I realised how close they were and that I'd done hardly any revision for them. Anyway, on with the review replies.

Jemima-luvah: I should have taken your advice about uni work sooner, my problem is that I'm always finding excuses not to dowork, but it's ok now, I've got a couple of great friends who are gonna look out for me and make me buckle down, after seeing how stressed I got over the last set of exams :-s Thank you for you kind review and I hope you enjoy this one.

Roman de la Croix: So I'm a cookie eh? Tasty. I hope your still enjoying this, or even reading this would be nice, I know I've neglected it somewhat, I'll try to be better I promise.

Krissy4: Bailey is really weird, so that could explain the lack of interest about killer maniacs, or even killer lampposts. Hope you'll still be interested in this new chapter.

DemiGold: I hadn't considered the Irregulars as of yet, but it's a brilliant idea, maybe Mungo and Rumple once they calm down with their bad stealing habits. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Now on with the story.

* * *

We talked until dawn, both glad of some companionship. Despite my earlier preconception about Bailey, likening him to some type of psychic, or someone with higher powers than most of us mere mortals, I found him to be a regular gentletom, with no more mystical power than myself. In fact, when I confessed that I had at one point considered him to be magical, he frowned upon the very idea.

"Magic? Preposterous. To solve a crime all one needs are refined skills in the art of deduction. These are to be relied on, quite unlike ridiculous magic tricks."

His voice was scornful, even though not long afterwards I did persuade him to admit that occasionally, on a rare occasion, magic was possibly a slight advantage. But that was as much as I was able to get out of him at that present time, he was stubborn if nothing else.

As the sky grew brighter, and the sun began to shine in through the window of the room, a knock at the door caused Bailey to jump out of his chair.

"That knock will be either our protectors or our downfall," he muttered to no one in particular while peering out of the window, "Looks to be them, but one can never be too careful. Come along, Doctor."

Such a complete change I had observed in Bailey in little more than a heartbeat. Gone was the languid figure with whom I had spoken throughout the night, in his place was a person who radiated energy and excitement, someone who revelled in the thrill of danger.

By the time I had reached the top of the steps, Bailey had already bounded down and pulled a small, decorative fencing sword from the wall. He stole towards the door and after a glance back towards me he flung open the cat-door.

"Bailey, put the sword down," Munkustrap said, looking remarkably well for someone who had a sword pointed at their throat, "It isn't any wonder that people don't visit very often if this is the way you greet them."

"I save this special welcome for you only, Munkus," Bailey returned in a manner so deadpan I had to wonder whether or not he was joking. He did however withdraw the sword and stepped aside to let Munkustrap and the others through.

"So, what is the matter? Your note didn't explain matters. From the fact I had to bring along the tribe protectors, and you nearly removing my head with that fine sword of yours, I gather it must be serious." Munkustrap said after exchanging a nuzzle with Bailey. The gesture surprised me; since I had no idea the two were even close. Bailey seemed to detach himself from the other Jellicles in the tribe, an idea which was emphasised by how far he lived away from the 'yard.

"It is serious enough to have had the house surrounded for the night by Macavity's goons."

"But why? You haven't been making a nuisance of yourself towards Macavity again, have you?" Munkustrap allowed a smile to cross his face, showing that despite his words he approved of Bailey's actions.

"Not as much as I should have been I'm afraid. The reason Macavity has seen fit to lavish so much attention upon this household, is currently in the lounge; a gold and black queen bearing the name of a Grecian goddess."

"Demeter!"

For someone who had been missing for two years the young queen came to Munkustraps' mind rather fast. By the expression on Bailey's face he had also noticed this but he sobered up with what he had to say next.

"She hasn't been treated with the respect she deserves, far from it. She may not be the same queen you knew, Munkus."

"Bailey...just don't. Please can I see her?"

Bailey nodded although his lips were pressed firmly together,

"I'll announce you. If she is feeling well enough she can return to the yard with you all."

He turned on his heel and led Munkustrap to the sitting room. The rest of us were left to our own devices.

I had recognised the other toms who had accompanied Munkustrap on this errand, from general introductions at the Junkyard. There was Alonzo, Plato, Skimbleshanks, and a small tuxedoed tom who was known far and wide for his magical powers, Mistoffelees. The four of us were left to make general conversation until Bailey and Munkustrap returned.

When the door to the lounge opened once again it was four people who exited the room. Bailey and Munkustrap first, Miss Demeter and Miss Jenny last.

"Mistoffelees," Bailey addressed the other tom, "I do not have the time to go messing around with disguises for Miss Demeter, could you see to it that she is unrecognisable to Macavity's henchcats?"

"Done, Bailey."

Before our eyes Miss Demeter changed from a gold and black tabby, to a snow white Persian.

Bailey nodded his thanks,

"Miss Jenny will be accompanying Miss Demeter as well, it is for the best."

The party left, with two members more than they arrived with, leaving Bailey and I alone.

"So you aren't all together adverse to a bit of magic?" I asked with a grin.

"That was for her own safety, that is all. It is no longer my concern."

"No longer your concern? Aren't you going after Macavity? You saw what he did to her, how can you let him get away with this?"

"He has already gotten away with this, Doctor. All we have his her word of what happened and it is not good enough. Macavity will have alibis, documents, the works. Were I to lay my paws upon him, we don't have enough evidence to bring him to justice."

"But, surely..."

"No, there is no, 'surely', there is _nothing_. May I remind you, Doctor that you are free to go."

With that he stalked up the stairs and I heard him attacking his violin strings with much fervour.


	7. The life of a Jellicle doctor

Disclaimer: I own neither Cats or Sherlock Holmes, but dammit I wish I did.

Author's note: Hello everyone, I've been neglecting fanfiction again, I know I'm terrible. This time I have good reason though, I've been up to my eyes in Uni work, and because this is my third year, the degree-deciding year I can't slack off (well not too much anyway). I have the next two chapters of this sorted and ready to go (more or less) so hopefully the updates shouldn't take too long. Hope those of you who haven't given up on this story (and me) yet enjoy this chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.

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Fate determined yet again that I wasn't to see Bailey for several weeks after his little outburst. I had learnt from the other Jellicles that Bailey staying away from the yard for weeks on end was not an uncommon occurrence, and so I had determined to put all thought of the detective from my mind. 

I concentrated instead on my thriving medical practise, and in particular one of my patients, young Miss Demeter. Her physical wounds had by now healed, however her state of mind was edgy and uneasy to the point of paranoia. The toms in the 'yard had been advised not to approach her as it would only agitate her further. The small number of us, who she would allow near, were myself, Deuteronomy and Munkustrap.

At times I really felt for the poor second-in-command, as his feelings for Miss Demeter were obvious. It was always him who would come running to me in the middle of the night when Demeter had suffered another dreadful nightmare while Bombalurina stayed with her. That came as another surprise to me, that the sensuous red queen would have any time for Miss Demeter, let alone assign herself as her protector while Munkustrap had duties to perform. It was a surprise but not an unwelcome one. It comforted me and the other tribe members that Miss Demeter had such magnificent friends to rely upon.

My thoughts would often drift to the tribe as I worked in the den I had claimed as my 'doctors surgery'. Occasionally I would be particularly busy and not able to spare a minute for my thoughts, but most often the den would just be a nice quiet place to escape to on those lazy days. It was one of these days, when there was a knock at my door.

It was an old, withered tom who stood at the threshold to my practise, hunched over, with a tatty cloak drawn around him.

"Ah thank goodness ye are 'ere, Doctor," the tom said, "I hope ye don't mind but I've 'eard of ye and seeing as I need yer 'elp I thought I'd come along."

I was getting used to such visits from local felines, not necessarily Junkyard Jellicles, just cats who knew of me and needed some help.

"By all means," I replied, "Do come in."

The old tom walked with a limp, and drew the cloak closer around him for warmth. It was that gesture more than anything else that made me turn to close the door. When I turned back Bill Bailey was in the place of the old tom, the cloak still hung on his shoulders.

"You? But how?"

"I have always had some talent for disguise." He shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant fashion, addressing the self-compliment like it was simple fact.

"You were being followed?" I asked, recalling the reason why he wished to use a disguise for Miss Demeter.

"It's probable, I hope you do not mind my presence here."

"Not at all. What can I do for you?" I enquired, I had to say that my curiosity was getting the better of me.

"I'm afraid that this time I require your medical expertise for myself."

I took a sharp intake of breath when he let the cloak slip from his shoulders. Wounds almost covered his body, his right leg was the worst, the cuts gouged deep. It was, I had noticed, that leg the old man had been favouring earlier.

"I see that limp was no play-acting."

"Not as much as I'd have liked it to be," he admitted, lowering himself onto a pile of blankets, while I busied around, gathering together the medical supplies I required.

"What happened to you?" I asked while making a start on cleaning his wounds.

"Just a little scrap with Macavity and a couple of his henchcats."

"So he does want you dead now?" I asked, recalling our earlier conversation.

"Not at all," he scoffed, "This was a warning, nothing more. Although if I continue my investigations I do not doubt he will try to put an end to me."

"And how do you know this?"

"Ahh, that is the best part of all, I had a visit from the tom himself, he got into my rooms in Baker Street. I am only glad Miss Jenny wasn't present at the time," He paused, as if to collect his thoughts.

"Please go on," I urged him.

"I was in the middle of conducting an experiment when a slight noise alerted me to a presence in the room. I looked to the doorway and there he was, the Napoleon of crime, standing in my doorway. I am not a nervous tom by nature but I must confess that I came close to letting the test tube I was holding slip to the ground. He merely smiled and asked if he may have a word with me.

"By that time I had sufficiently recovered the use of my voice to request him to take a seat.

"He made no attempt to move, merely cocked his head to one side, 'Did your mother never tell you it is impolite to toy with dangerous weapons when one has a guest?' said he.

"You see, after Munkustrap and the others arrived that morning you were present in my residence, my fencing sword found it's way into my sitting room, and needless to say, I had grasped the handle of it when I observed whom my visitor was. At his words I replaced the sword, however keeping it close enough to reach should there be any trouble. It is not everyday when one has a visit from a notorious tom such as Macavity, in fact he had never attempted such a thing previously. For a moment I thought it best to reconsider my opinion about Macavity not wishing to kill me. Indeed my death would benefit him.

" 'To what do I owe such an interview?' I asked him.

"At this he smiled and took a seat opposite me, but didn't relax his guard for a moment.

" 'I would like to congratulate you, on your actions of late. You are a very intelligent tom, enough so, to know when to quit, I hope. It would be such a shame if I were forced to do anything I should regret. People of great intelligence are a rare find these days."

" 'Indeed they are,' I said, 'However I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you, my actions are directed to a definite end.'

" 'The end of myself.' said he, we both sat in silence for a moment before Macavity stood,

" 'I cannot dissuade you then?'

" 'I shall do exactly as I had intended before your visit.' I replied.

"Macavity nodded and stepped into the hall,

" 'Remember Bailey, that you are not the only tom capable of bringing destruction onto others. I should be on my guard if I were you.'"

"And with that he left, later I found myself caught in a slight fracas on my way here. Luckily the big police dog wasn't too far away and brought an end to it. Macavity is not one to let the grass grow under his feet."

"If you don't mind me asking, what were your actions that caused Macavity to do this?"

"Let us say that I had inconvenienced him of late, interfered in a few too many of his schemes. I happen to know that he is currently planning a crime of a most dastardly nature, and he wishes to remove any unknown factors from the equation."

"And what is this 'dastardly scheme'?" I couldn't help but enquire.

"All in good time my dear Admetus. The fact is however, although the mission may be endangered I'm still a long way from capturing the villain. Rest assured though, I shall do everything within my power to ensure the safety of the Jellicle world."


	8. Confrontation

Author's note: Hi everyone, I did say I would be better with updating, for the next couple of chapters anyhow. Hope you enjoy this and thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you're my heroes. Don't worry, I'll try not to neglect Uni work.

* * *

Someone knocked on the outside of my den. I was about to shout 'come in' before I noticed Bailey's pained look and understood it's meaning. Macavity would be on the lookout for him, anyone we couldn't identify could be an assassin.

I snuck to the door and looking out through a small gap in the wood which made up the front of my den, I saw Munkustrap.

"Come in," I said, glad that the second-in-command was now there. Munkustrap had a way about him, of reassurance. Everyone seemed to know that once the second-in-command was there, all would be well.

He entered the room with a slight nod of the head in greeting to me, but I could tell that I was not the one he had come to see.

"Bailey, what in Heaviside's name has happened?" Munkutrap demanded to know.

"I just happened to get caught up in a little scuffle. It was nothing serious."

I looked at the detective incredulously, his life was in danger and he was refusing to tell one of the best people who could help him. Fortunately Munkustrap seemed to know Bailey's tricks.

"You can scent trouble a mile off, there is no chance you'd 'just get caught up' in something like that. Now what really happened?"

"Your deductive skills are actually developing Munkus, how thrilling for you," Baileys' tone remained flat, as if the conversation topic bored him, I honestly could not understand how he was treating this as a matter of no importance. Had it been my life in danger, then I certainly would have been anything but bored.

"This is something to do with Macavity isn't it?"

Bailey opened his mouth to speak then instead sighed,

"He paid a visit to my residence earlier on today."

"And he did this?" Munk growled.

"No, the conversation we had was civilised. Apparently though he can 'bring destruction' onto me," Baileys' demeanor remained unchanged, as if he was discussing the weather and not the danger to his life.

"Yes, I can see that," Munkustrap growled, "Bailey you have to give this thing up sometime, it's getting dangerous."

"You do not wish for retribution? For what he did to Demeter, what he has done to so many other Jellicles?"

"You know I do, but I'll be damned if I lose my brother to all this."

I have to admit, it took me a moment to realise who that brother was. I had been led to believe that Tugger was Munkustraps' only brother. So the realisation that these two were also siblings surprised me.

"I will be fine," Bailey spoke coldly, "The only way I shall be going down is by dragging Macavity with me."

"And what if I don't accept that?"

"Then I believe it will be hard luck for you," Bailey said, with an air of finality.

"You're being unreasonable, surely you can't be so dim as not to see what the outcome will be. Macavity wins, Macavity always wins."

"Well I sense a change, sooner or later his luck shall fail and I shall be the one to change it. Now if you'll excuse me," Bailey glared at Munkustrap and stood up to leave.

I placed a paw on his shoulder; Bailey may have an air of authority in his areas of expertise, however here was my expertise. I was the doctor and I was in charge.

"I'm afraid you are going nowhere at the moment. You came here for medical attention and you are to stay until I'm happy with your condition."

For a moment I thought Bailey would walk out of my den regardless, but he finally sat back down with only a slight grumble.

"Thank you," I said, continuing with the bandaging. Both he and Munkustrap remained in silence until I began to pack away my things. Bailey was the first to rise to his paws and speak,

"Munkus, I have a real chance to put Macavity away permanently, I'm not going to give that up because of a few threats."

He nodded his thanks to me and exited the den once again in the guise of an old withered tom.

"Well that was certainly eventful." I quipped.

Munkustrap nodded before speaking,

"He listened to you, do you know how difficult that is?"

"Nonsense, Bailey is a tad stubborn, but surely he'd listen for the good of his health."

"You don't understand; if I was to say what you said then he would have been straight out of that door. He listened to you, and took note. He only ever does that with people he respects."

"Munkus, I'm sure he does respect you."

"Baileys' job is to make my life harder it seems. He may respect me but so long as I am family he will make his own decisions. Look, I have a proposition for you, go after him, talk him out of this."

"He appears determined. Anyone in that frame of mind is unlikely to pay me any heed." I was unwilling to arouse Baileys' infamous temper. From all I had seen of him, I knew he was headstrong enough to ignore all advice, however sensible.

"Please, the least you can do is try. I don't want him getting hurt. He's idiotic enough to do all this detecting business solo, he has nobody to watch out for him."

"So you'd be less concerned if that were the case?"

"I'd be even less concerned if he didn't pursue this line of work in the first place. So you'll talk to him?"

I was strangely unnerved, Munkustrap was practically pleading with me, something I had never seen before. I could hardly refuse his request.

"I shall do my best, but I doubt if I will do any good."

"Please, it's the only chance we have."


	9. A change of career?

Author's note: Hi everyone, another chapter. Next one may not be for a while, I've been running myself into the ground with University work and other responsibilities. I'm trying to make writing my chilling out activity, but it may take me a while to get things done. Believe me though I am determined to get this story finished. Thanks for reading and please review. Thanks for all reviews so far.

* * *

After my exchange with Munkustrap the only sensible option was to return to Baileys' residence and await his arrival, if he was not already present. After all who knew when he was next likely to enter the junkyard? If I rested on my laurels, I would most likely be waiting a long time.

So it was with a little trepidation and many wrong turns that I found my way back to Baker Street. I was unsettled at the prospect of encountering the detective when he was still likely to be seething after the encounter with his brother. Add to that the fact that he would not like the prospect of what I was entrusted to discuss with him. Anyone in my paws would not be relishing this errand either.

I was surprised to note that it was not Miss Jenny who answered my tentative knock at the door, although she was close on the heels of the tom who did.

"Ahh, Doctor," Bailey greeted me, "I've been expecting you."

"You have?"

"Indeed, and as so I know the purpose of your visit. Tell Munkustrap that I have no intentions of obeying his request. If that is all?" he made a move to close the door, but he hadn't counted on his housekeeper bustling forward muttering about how civilised felines did not have conversations on doorsteps.

"Mr. Bailey, invite the poor doctor in, the junkyard is a long way from here and I'm sure he would like to rest before heading back."

With a long suffering sigh Bailey stepped away from the door enough to allow me entrance but did not make any attempt verbally to compliment his action.

"Come in Dr. Admetus, would you like a drink?" Miss Jenny enquired, attempting to ignore Bailey's displeasure.

"No, thank you, and it's just Admetus."

Jenny clucked in mild disapproval at the lack of formality my name had, but made no other protest, and darted off in the direction of the kitchen soon after.

"So, you and Munkustrap are brothers?"

He nodded in return,

"One of the lesser known secrets of the Jellicle tribe." He chuckled dryly, "State your business, Doctor. Small talk is such an unnecessary waste of ones time."

"Munkustrap worries about your choice of profession."

"I do not see why, I am still living. If I did not know what I was doing I would already be in my grave."

"But as I understand it your work is becoming more perilous and you refuse to enlist anyone's' assistance," I countered.

"Is that what this is about? I work alone; assistance is nothing more than a hindrance to me. Munkustrap knows that. There are times when one tom can do what an army cannot. Furthermore..." Bailey paused for a moment, a smirk forming upon his lips, his eyes bright with a sudden realisation.

"Well, if dear old Munkus would prefer me not to pursue this matter then I may have to be considerate in the matter of his feelings."

I smiled; glad to see he had come to his senses.

"Good man," I congratulated him.

His smirk had now evolved into a strange half-manic grin, and I shrank back, unsure of what was going on in the detectives' mind.

"Doctor, I appear to be in the market for some assistance in a particular case involving Macavity."

"But didn't you just say...?"

"No, Doctor. You have misunderstood me; it is I'm afraid, impossible for me to abandon this matter. However if Munkustrap is concerned about me working alone, then that situation is one to which I am open to change. So what do you say, Doctor? Are you in or not?"

Most surprising of all to me was that I heard myself reply in the affirmative.

"Splendid, old boy," Bailey congratulated me whilst clapping me on the shoulder, "Miss Jenny, champagne all round!"

I had to sit down, the flurry of activity in my head too much to comprehend right now. What exactly had I let myself in for?


	10. Waiting

Author note: It's been a long time, I know, I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but I hope there are some oldbies like me out there and this inspires them to get writing again themselves. If I can do it anyone can. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint, I'm getting old and a little rusty now so please forgive me.

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If I'd expected an immediate lifestyle change in the days following my acceptance of Bailey's offer, I would have been sadly mistaken. For myself and my practise at the 'yard, life continued as it had for some months. There were more subtle differences however. Bailey was seen around here on a regular basis, pacing about my den, spouting his latest theory. Yet he constantly reminded me that we could not make any sort of conclusion until Macavity had made his move. For someone who wished the detective out of the picture, the infamous feline certainly seemed reluctant to do so. The anticipation began to grate on my nerves. Bailey however, seemed unaffected and surprisingly calm.

"He's surely trying to rattle our nerves, old chap," he would say, "Best to ignore the situation for now. He'll make his move when he is ready."

Well that was perhaps easy for his nerves, but mine had already been well and truly shaken. It was not for my safety I feared as of yet, for my participation in Bailey's investigations was not even common Jellicle knowledge. Excluding myself and Bailey only the Jellicle leader and his second knew of this.

I grimaced recalling Munkustrap's initial reaction to the news. Deuteronomy however had been much more accepting, although even he had his own words of warning to add to those of Munkustrap;

"Bailey means well, what he does is truly his calling, and your calling Admetus, is medicine. I will not try to dissuade you in any way, please just be cautious. If you feel endangered in any way take a step back. The tribe cannot afford to lose you or your skills."

And with that the Jellicle leader patted my shoulder and left it there. It had been agreed between the four of us that no good was to come of disclosing my role in Bailey's investigations. This is not to say however, that the Jellicles were somehow unaware of Baileys increased presence in the 'Yard. I recalled an incident with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer earlier in the week.

"'E's taken a bit ova fancy to yer, 'asn't 'e Doc?" Teazer giggled.

"Pardon?" My mind was at work, cleaning out a wound that her mischievous partner in crime had managed to acquire and I only had half an ear to spare for bystanders.

"Detective Bailey, Doc. 'E's always round 'ere now."

And that, no doubt, had the consequence of these two rascals getting into far less mischief, lest they be caught red handed. They appeared to have a fondness for Bailey however and sought his approval on more than one occasion as they no doubt realised that the detective had saved them from severe trouble. The time with Bustopher's vase came to mind. Bustopher was, to this day, unaware that these two had any paw in the scheme.

"Bailey is an educated feline, he has an interest in medicine which he cares to discuss with me," I replied, dismissing any further questions.

And if the kittens in the 'Yard could be said to be curious then the adults were just as bad, although perhaps not as direct in their questioning. That doesn't mean to say that there were not any exceptions to that, young Miss Demeter, for one.

I called in on her occasionally to see how she was getting along, not just as a patient but as a friend. She always sat as far out of reach as possible yet I knew I was one of a privileged few to be even let in a den with her.

On this particular visit, earlier today, the conversation took an unusual turn;

"I know something I shouldn't know, Addy," Demeter spoke softly, avoiding any eye contact by fixing her gaze upon the ground. She, unlike Miss Jenny had decided my full name had too much formality and preferred to shorten it.

My thoughts immediately leapt to the time she was imprisoned by that fiend Macavity,

"Demeter, you're safe here, you know you can...

"About you," she interrupted, speaking louder than before, though her eyes still focused on the floor, "About you, Addy."

I was intrigued,

"What is it?" I asked.

"You're working with Bailey now. Please don't be angry."

I opened my mouth to speak.

"No, Munkus didn't tell me," Demeter predicted my question before I had spoken it aloud, "As close as we are, there are some things he will never tell for fear of compromising the tribes safety. I wouldn't have said, but I want to warn you. Bailey doesn't know how far this will go, he doesn't know the half of it yet. It will be the most dangerous situation you have ever encountered, please be careful. If you have any mistrust of his abilities then please reconsider now."

Those words weighed upon my mind heavily, even though afterwards our conversation had turned to more trivial matters. The chance to consider the matter fully however, never materialised. For as I stepped out of the den shared by Demeter and Bombalurina I was immediately accosted by Bailey.

"Come along, Doctor," he said, his features alive with excitement, "The fiend has made his move!"


	11. The wrecked piano

One may have been forgiven for thinking that Macavity's move had not involved Bailey in any way. Certainly the detective appeared to show no signs of shock or ill nerves for having survived an almost successful attempt on his life. One may even say he was chipper as he dashed about the scene of his near demise. A large piano lay upon the pavement, smashed beyond repair, a hook hung high above it and the remains of a rope lay among the wreckage of the piano. The weight of the blasted thing would have been enough to kill a human, a Jellicle would not have stood a chance. It appeared that only Bailey's quick reactions were responsible for saving his life.

The detective stopped for a moment and as if suddenly recalling my presence turned to me and asked,

"Well, what do you see, Doctor?"

"The rope and hook were holding the piano high, and the rope snapped."

Bailey chuckled, "Not snapped, cut." he held up the ropes end so I could see, "The end is far too straight to have been snapped." He then dashed over to a spot a few metres away, which I had managed to overlook. A sturdy metal drainpipe had a loop of rope tightly wound around it, one end dangled free. "This is where my assailant stood as I passed. He concealed himself in the shadows until the opportune moment, cut the rope and made his escape along this alleyway. Come along, Doctor."

In an instant he was off again his eyes taking in the tiniest details of the alleyway as he kept up his quick pace. If I had believed he was blessed with some kind of super power before, then it was only confirmed now, for surely no normal Jellicle could have found any clues while moving at such speed. Towards the dead end of the alleyway he slowed down and jumped onto a dustbin, peering over the other side of it.

"You must forgive me, Doctor, for I did take the liberty of examining the scene before leaving to find you. However one can never be sure if one has overlooked anything."

He paused for a moment, "My attacker had dark fur, a very dark gray according to this," he held a small tuft of fur that appeared to have been caught on the fence above, "This confirms my own impression, from the moments after the piano crashed to the ground, I saw a large dark figure run down this alleyway. By the time I had recovered my wits he had unfortunately made his escape."

"That is understandable enough, you were shocked by it all, I expect."

"It was a moment I could ill afford, Doctor," he replied dryly, "Now we are hindered by a lack of evidence."

He jumped back onto the ground beside me and began to walk out of the alleyway, talking as he went.

"The question is, why would Macavity charge someone so obviously inept with a task of high importance such as this?"

"Inept? Bailey, you could have been…" I trailed off, gesturing towards the piano to make my point.

"But that is not the case, the task was not completed. If Macavity had indeed been a man of his word then surely I would be under that wreckage. So why am I not?"

"Your quick reactions, I suppose."

Bailey chuckled, "Macavity would find a way, an inescapable plot for my demise, a trap which would require my brainpower and not my reactions to survive it. This was haphazard, too much was simply left to chance." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "A simple murder would have sufficed, I have a great many enemies, too many in fact for me to believe good old Scotland Yard would ever be able to pin it down to just one, so why try to create the appearance of an accident?" His voice dropped to a mumble, "Something isn't right here."


End file.
